The Conservative MP for Harlow, Robert Halfon, writing on the ConservativeHome website, endorsed the Canadian pledge to boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in 2013, if held in Sri Lanka, and urged the UK government to considering doing the same.

The United States have reiterated their demand for Sri Lanka to take ‘concrete steps’ on reconciliation.

State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said Sri Lanka had not attempted to implement any of the LLRC report’s recommendations.

"To date, frankly, we've not seen a detailed action plan from the government of Sri Lanka on how it's going to implement these recommendations," Toner told reporters.

"We still encourage the government of Sri Lanka to move forward, to take concrete steps on this implementation plan,"

The Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka dismissed calls for an international inquiry into allegations of war crimes.

Vladimir Mikhaylov was speaking at a conference marking 55 years of diplomatic relations between Russia and Sri Lanka, where he expressed Russia’s view that larger, more powerful nations cannot dictate to smaller countries how to govern or what type of leader should be in power.

He argued that the legitimately elected governments should be allowed to solve internal matters themselves.

The UNP's deputy leader, Sajith Premadasa, is reported to be working with UNP dissidents towards forming a new organisation, with the group's first meeting held in Kandy Upcountry Union recently.

Ahead of the UNHRC March session, starting next week, Sri Lanka's minister of foreign affairs suggested it was unreasonable to expect implementation of the LLRC recommendations already.

Peiris said,

The official news portal of the Sri Lankan Government quoted Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the Unit, Dr Palitha Kohona, as saying the government will not favour any external intervention in, what it says are, ‘domestic issues’.

According to Dr Kohona, domestic processes must be ‘exhausted’, before resorting to externalisation.

The decision to appoint Major General Shavendra Silva of the Sri Lankan Army to the UN Special Advisory Group on Peace Keeping Operations has come under fire, as pressure increases on the UN to review the appointment.

The US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice was earlier quoted as saying,

"It's very concerning that someone with his background would be selected to serve on this advisory group. We have conveyed this to member states, as well as to the Secretariat.

The influx of British tourists into Sri Lanka has fallen following the murder of a British tourist and the rape of his girlfriends at a holiday resort in the South of the island, according to official figures.

Statistics from Sri Lanka’s Tourist Board show whilst tourist numbers from Western Europe had increased, there was a 14.2% decline in the number of British tourists in January compared to last year. Visitors from Western Europe still made up the bulk of tourists to Sri Lanka, accounting for 42% in total.